


Everybody knows

by jenny_wren



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-31 07:58:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1029220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenny_wren/pseuds/jenny_wren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>OotP AU - If Remus wasn't just passive</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everybody knows

Everybody knows Remus Lupin is a calm, unassuming man who would never lose his temper. Everybody, as is often the case, is completely wrong. Unfortunately there were only ever three people who knew better and one of them’s a traitor and another one is dead. 

Sirius was still there of course, and could still bear witness. Not even twelve years of Azkaban could erase the knowledge engraved on his heart. But as the popular view is that Sirius is a broken man, he won’t be consulted at any time in the near future. 

Which is a pity because Sirius could have warned Dumbledore he was about to make the fatal error of believing in Remus Lupin’s calm, unassuming smile. Sirius could have advised Dumbledore that Remus’ calm, unassuming smile was in truth scarier than the wolf’s teeth-filled growl. You knew where you were with the wolf but when Remus’ smiled like that Sirius trembled, apologized and kept apologizing until Remus shouted at him, at which point he had a chance at working for forgiveness.

It should be remembered at this point that Remus liked Sirius, he did not, contrary to popular opinion, like Dumbledore. Dumbledore was partially liable for his best friend’s death, condoned the imprisonment of his lover and was directly responsible for his almost son growing up in misery. In Remus’ view that far out-weighed allowing an intelligent, well-behaved werewolf to attend Hogwarts. If Voldemort had had the decency to stay dead Dumbledore would have been lucky to escape death at the end of Remus’ wand.

Dumbledore, along with everybody else, is unaware that that Voldemort’s reappearance had saved him from appearing before the Wizengamot on charges of child endangerment. Technically Remus was released from his blood oath to serve the Order after Voldemort’s first death, however, as things stood, he felt an obligation to follow Dumbledore as the meddling old man was the light’s best chance. 

Everybody completely missed that Remus took passive aggression to terrifying new levels. Dumbledore was certainly completely ignorant of that fact. Or that the reason his Legimens revealed young Sirius Black genuinely hadn’t planned or wanted the Shrieking Shack Incident was because the whole situation had been brought about by Remus with sheer, bloody-minded compliance.

(For the record Severus Snape had his suspicions but it’s amazing what large, amber eyes, blinking with hurt, will let the owner get away with. Once Sirius recovered from his heart-thumping panic, he figured out exactly what had gone down. Fortunately that was after Dumbledore had raked through his thoughts. James always knew.)

Dumbledore might be utterly inattentive to such minutia as the thoughts and feelings of his chess pieces but even he was sensitive to trembling of fate as it stood poised on the tipping point. Sadly for him he considered his talk with Lupin as a decision already made. In fact he was impatient to get it over with so he could turn his full attention to the meeting with the Minster that he was convinced would tumble fate in exactly the direction he wanted.

Fate smiled. If Sirius Black had seen that smile he would have closed his eyes and tried to remember what Lily said about praying. Remus would have smiled back and proposed a chess match. He would have won. Dumbledore just glided serenely onwards into the waiting arms of fiasco.

Remus took the offered seat and fixed his eyes attentively on Hogwarts’ Headmaster.

“You sent for me, sir.”

“Yes my dear boy. I wanted to have a little chat with you about Sirius and young Harry.”

“Of course.”

“I’m a little concerned with Sirius’ attitude and, if I may speak frankly, his growing dependence on alcohol.”

“I quite understand. I feel that way myself. What do you suggest?” Remus leaned forward eagerly in his seat. It seemed as if Dumbledore was finally turning his attention to Sirius thoroughly unsatisfactory situation.

“I thought you might have a talk with him.”

“A talk?”

“Yes. If you could explain that while we appreciate he finds the current arrangements difficult we need him to straighten up and once again become a contributing member of the Order.”

“A contributing member,” repeated Remus incredulously. Sirius was currently trapped in his hellhole of a family home to provide the Order with a secure headquarters, how exactly was that not contributing?

“Yes, we are all working hard for the Order. I understand that Sirius is uncomfortable with his current position but he needs to pull himself together. His current attitude is thoroughly unsatisfactory and what is worse his malaise is communicating itself to Harry. The boy is nearly impossible to deal with this year.”

As Dumbledore spoke, Remus’ eyes were growing narrower and narrower. When he spoke it was almost a snarl.

“And you don’t think this has something to do with Harry being a helpless witness to Cedric Diggory’s death?”

“If that were the case, dear boy, Harry would surely be working harder than ever to ensure that next time he is prepared. Professor Snape informs me that Harry is lazy and recalcitrant in his study of Occulmency.”

“You know Snape has never forgiven Harry for being James’ son. Have you considered a different teacher might get better results?”

“Severus has an excellent grasp of the subject and it is important he learn that he learn Harry is not James. All that is needed is for Harry to behave better.”

“What exactly is it that you would like me to do?” asked Remus at his most sweetly helpful

“I want you to make Sirius content with his situation. I want you to get Harry to calm down and focus his attention on the study of Occulmency.”

“Let me clarify this,” said Remus with a very wolf-like snap of his jaw, “You want Sirius content and Harry calm and learning Occulmency.”

“Exactly,” beamed Dumbledore.

“And you don’t care what methods I use to achieve this.”

“Whatever you feel best,” twinkled the headmaster. 

“May I speak to Harry now?”

“Yes, if you will feel it will help. I want him to attend Occulmency on Thursday, so make sure he is ready to cooperate.”

“Occulmency lesson this Thursday, right.”

“Wonderful, I’m so glad we had this little talk. Now I must ask you to excuse me as I have a meeting with the Minister shortly.”

“Very good Headmaster. Do I have your permission to take Harry out of class?”

“Of course, of course.”

“Very good Headmaster,” said Remus, half-bowing as he left the room.

 

Remus walked swiftly down the stairs from the Headmaster’s office, took a sharp right turn and appeared to walk straight through a wall. Once in the hidden corridor, he drew his wand,

“Locus Harry Potter.”

_Third floor Transfiguration Classroom_ , scrawled its way across the wall. Remus tapped his wand twice to clear the words and stalked away.

Professor McGonagall was no more proof against Remus’ apologetic smile and soft words than anybody else. She cheerfully released Harry into his care.

Harry showing a sense that few would have attributed to him looked askance at his ex-Professor.

“Is everything all right, sir?”

“Everything is fine.”

Harry was not Sirius’ godson for nothing. Instead of grinning cheerfully at Remus’ gently smiling face, he cringed at the flat voice and blank, angry eyes.

“Sorry sir,” he said pre-emptively and racked his brains for how he might have offended.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m going to be taking you on a little trip. First we need to go to your dormitory and collect anything you don’t wish to leave behind.”

Harry patted his satchel.

“It’s all in here, even my firebolt. I don’t have much that I’d mind loosing and I prefer to keep it with me.”

“Excellent,” said Remus and Harry relaxed a bit. “Come along.”

Harry badly wanted to ask some of the questions running through his mind, but knew that now was decidedly not the time. Obediently he followed Remus through two sharp turns and then down a staircase he’d never seen before. The staircase let out into a long, musty corridor that smelt of damp earth.

Harry followed Remus into the gloom.

“You probably haven’t seen this Secret Passage before,” said Remus.

He shook his head, then realizing Remus was unlikely to catch the gesture in the shadows, said, “No.”

“I thought not. Most people ignore it because it doesn’t lead anywhere useful. Only a field the far side of Hogwarts, but a field that just happens to be outside the Anti-Apparition Wards.”

“Ah,” said Harry. “Where are we going?”

“Away.”

“Oh. With Sirius?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Neither of them said anything more. Harry was marveling at how good Away sounded. Away from Snape and Umbridge and fighting to keep his head above the water while the Wizarding World seemed to be doing its best to drown him.

Remus, calculating how best to confuse their Apparation trail, was distantly grateful that Harry was showing such good sense. He didn’t want to have to Stun the boy because it made Apparating two people was even trickier when one was unconscious.

They landed neatly outside 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius, watching longingly out the front window for company, raced to meet them.

“Remus, Harry, this is a lovely surprise. Have you come for a visit?”

“No,” said Remus baldly.

Harry’s heart lurched as all the happiness bled from his godfather’s face.

“Can you come in for a quick cup of tea? Just a couple of minutes,” he pleaded.

“Padfoot, we’re on a schedule,” said Remus roughly, “Are you packed?”

Sirius barked a laugh and twirled round in front of them, indicating he was just as ready to leave as Harry was.

“Excellent,” said Remus.

“Are we running away?” asked Sirius with a painful eagerness.

“Yes.”

“Can I get rid of the house first?”

“If you must,” said Remus. He held out his left and aimed the point of his wand at the palm. Harry watched with interest as something a little like a hand grenade appeared, except it was twice the size and bulged and flexed disturbingly, as if it were somehow alive. Remus handed it to Sirius. Sirius spoke a few words over it and then twisted it three times. The thing let out an ear-splitting screech. Sirius drew back his arm and smoothly launched the shrieking thing into the air. It flew in a graceful arc and shattered through an upper floor window. Everything went silent.

“Quick,” said Sirius, “We need to get the other side of the wards.”

They pelted down the path, only stopping when they were back in Muggle London. Harry could hear the screech starting up again, as Sirius said,

“Let’s go.”

Remus rattled off a list of Apparation co-ordinates. The screech was even louder now than before and a series of explosions rumbled.

“Great,” said Sirius, “See you there.”

Remus and Harry winked out just as the sky started to flicker with invisible flames.

 

When they landed the first thing Harry was aware of was the heat.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Spain,” said Remus.

“Southern Spain,” corrected Sirius. He stretched his cramped muscles, already he was standing more easily in the warmth, and turned his pallid face into glow of the sun. “The real Spain, the most wonderful country in all the world.”

“Sirius loves Spain,” said Remus unnecessarily. “But we’re not here because of that.”

“No?”

“Well not completely,” Remus smiled affectionately at Sirius. “We’re here because Spain has a wonderful mix of heritages: Catholic, Jewish and Muslim.”

“Sounding dangerously like a tourist brochure, Moony.”

“And they have a wonderfully eclectic mix of magic. Much less provincial than Britain.”

“Really?” asked Harry, suddenly interested.

“And some of the best Occulmency specialists in Europe.”

Harry pouted.

“Don’t listen to him Harry,” said Sirius, “Moony’s just here for the tapas.”

 

The next few days were spent in as much of a rush as Spain would allow, which meant in between siestas, long lazy lunches and dusty pick-up Quidditch games, they managed to find the local branch of Gringotts, a house, and a gentle Occulmency teacher who was rather horrified at the damage Snape had done.

Harry had his first lesson on Thursday. Because, as everybody knows, Remus Lupin is scrupulous about doing exactly as he is told.


End file.
